My father and I had greeted the emperor and empress without problems. However, I was still nervous—my mouth was dry, and my hands were sweaty.

'I just need to survive today,' I continued to tell myself. I repeatedly took sips of water as I stood next to my father.

"Is everything okay, Jubelian?" he asked just then.

"I'm just a little thirsty," I replied with a nod. I tried to sound calm, but my voice was shaking. It was no wonder as it was time for the female protagonist of this novel—the one I had developed a terrible relationship with—to enter the hall. I turned my attention to my dress color and once again told myself it would be fine as I was dressed in a very modest hue. I had chosen a toned-down version of sky blue for my attire as I had remembered from the novel that Beatrice would be wearing a red one.

Curious about what others were wearing, I looked around to see other noble ladies' dresses. That was when I spotted an unpleasant face.

'That creep, he's been looking at me.'

Mikhail had his obsessive eyes fixed on me. I simply turned away to show that I had no interest in him. I then resumed my optimistic chants, burning my will to survive.

'Today will go as planned. Nothing will happen.'

"Princess Beatrice Evelyn Assiette and her partner Crown Prince Maximillian Cassein Assiette will now enter!" the gatekeeper shouted.

My eyes trembled as soon as I heard the announcement—my expectations were off from the start! The princess was supposed to appear alone! But never mind that, why was her partner the crown prince?!

Although Beatrice was a sweet girl in the beginning, her character underwent many changes throughout the novel. In the beginning, she was terrified after seeing the head of an assassin—a gift from the crown prince—a day before the banquet. Surprised, she hurried to the queen's chambers to visit her mother, but…

"The child I'm bearing is constantly wanting more meat. It must be a boy this time."

"I will bring some snacks, Your Majesty."

"Thank you—and don't forget. The news of my pregnancy must not reach Maximillian."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Beatrice fell into a state of panic after overhearing the conversation between her mother and her maid. That was when she realized why the empress had been neglecting her for the past few days. Returning to her room in despair, she wept. "My worth will be nothing more than a useless trinket to sell to another noble family. In that case…"

The reality was harsh for her as she was someone who had endured most of her life with the belief that she would be loved someday. Desperate, Beatrice tried to commit suicide by throwing herself off the balcony. However, her soul did not let her die and awakened her as a wizard instead—allowing her to succeed the first emperor who founded this kingdom.

"My parents who only wanted to use me, and my evil stepbrother who tried to kill me… I will break this damn bloodline!" Beatrice decided after gaining power. So her character did a 180 and she entered the banquet hall alone. At least… that was what was supposed to happen. She was now entering the hall holding hands with the prince. In any case, she looked somewhat familiar.

Sometimes, it took a little time for one to connect all the dots. Such was my case.

"There will be another banquet in two weeks anyway. We can see each other then."

'Bea was the royal princess?!'

It was common for one to have strawberry blonde hair and red eyes. For this reason, I had treated her without much thought—having no idea that she would be the female protagonist who would cause my ruin!

Chills ran down my spine just then, replacing my frustration. 'I did not make any mistakes… did I?' Just then, the memories flashed before my eyes like a panorama. To be precise, I was reminded of all the mistakes I had made.

"Hey, could you pick up that coin for me?"

"My friend and I got lost and ended up coming all the way here. Is this a restricted area by any chance?"

I had talked to her informally at our first meeting and had even called her a friend in front of the crown prince! I stood frozen in place, shocked by the atrocities I had committed until now. Realizing I had set up my own death flag, I sighed.